Not applicable.
Not Applicable.
The present invention relates to display cases or showcases, and more particularly to a system and method for producing display cases or showcases, such as those used for displaying sculptures, memorabilia and the like.
Display cases or showcases, (the terms xe2x80x9cdisplay casexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cshowcase,xe2x80x9d or their plural forms, are interchangeable, and hereinafter they will both be referred to as xe2x80x9cshowcasesxe2x80x9d), have been known and available in the trade for a long time, and, generally, they are used to display art, crafts, memorabilia and other similar items. Showcases come in various sizes, shapes, and manners of construction. For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,002,233 to Page, Jr. for a knock-down display case kit, which can be used by traveling salesmen to transport their products, describes having alternate sized panels for varying the depth of the case.
As another example, the Collector""s Display Cases website shows many examples of display cases of varying sizes and designs. However, all of these cases are pre-made by the manufacturer with specific dimentions.
With this stated, there still remains a need for a showcase fabrication system and method that would allow both novices and experienced framers to build easy-to-construct showcasesxe2x80x94without limiting the user of the system and method to any specific size or shape.
According to its major aspects and briefly recited, the present invention is a system and method of fabricating showcases in a variety of shapes, sizes, and designs, while allowing both novices, with an interest and skill in arts and crafts (or framing), and professional framers to enjoy the easy-to-construct features of the present invention. The showcase system includes, but is not limited to (1) novel molding pieces that are used in conjunction with (2) standard picture frame pieces, which are themselves used in novel manner, (3) standard glass, mirrored glass, ceramic or other similar materials that would be suitable for making the showcase walls, (4) standard adhesives, sealants, and/or glass retaining strips, (5) standard matting and/or foam core materials, and/or (6) the use of standard tools, including, but not limited to, a razor knife, stapler, and/or a diamond point fastening tool.
An important feature of the present invention is that the novel molding pieces, the standard picture frame pieces, and the other associated materials that are used in the present invention, can be made in a variety of lengths that can be cut to size by the showcase fabricator. Additionally, the novel molding pieces and the standard picture frame pieces, can be finished in a wide variety of colors and/or styles to provide desired surface effects. This allows the showcases to be made in a wide variety of shapes and designs, and leads to the advantage of having a great deal of flexibility in meeting the fabricator""s or a customer""s design requirements for a particular showcase project. Furthermore, this may also give the showcase fabricator the ability to try to match the surrounding furnishings or the decor of the room in which the showcase located.
Another advantage of the system and method is that the use of standard picture frame pieces reduces the cost of the showcase, while at the same time providing the fabricator with the opportunity to use highly decorative trim pieces to complement the showcase without the need of having the trim pieces custom made. (This does not preclude the use of custom made trim pieces, just the necessity of having to do so.)
Still another important feature of the invention, is that the complexity of fabricating the showcase has been substantially eliminated by the use of the novel molding pieces.
These and other features and their advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art of showcase fabricating and/or picture framing from a careful reading of the Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments accompanied by the following drawings.